A gunman opened fire in a building on the campus of Old Dominion University on Thursday, killing one person and injuring two others, in what the authorities said was being investigated as an act of terrorism. The gunman, who also died, had previously been convicted on terrorism-related charges, according to people familiar with the investigation.
The shooting took place shortly before 10:49 a.m., when a gunman opened fire in Constant Hall, a campus building with classrooms and lecture halls, the university said. The Old Dominion University police, Norfolk police and other emergency personnel responded.
The gunman has been identified as Mohammad Jalloh, who had been convicted years ago of attempting to provide material services to the Islamic State, according to people familiar with the investigation. The victims included members of R.O.T.C., officials said.
Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, said in a post on X that the shooting was being investigated as an act of terrorism. Mr. Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard, was arrested by the F.B.I. in 2016 after an undercover investigation in which, the authorities said, he bought an assault rifle in hopes of conducting an attack. He pleaded guilty, was sent to prison, and released in 2024, the people familiar with the case said.
Two people who were taken by ambulance to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where one of those patients died. The other patient was in critical condition, the hospital said. Another person took himself to a hospital in Virginia Beach, according to the university police chief, Garrett Shelton, and was later released.
Chief Shelton said at a news conference that emergency calls to 911 reported that “people were being shot in one of the classrooms.” By 10:50 a.m., the officials had determined that the assailant was dead. They did not say how he died or what led to the shooting.
The victims were affiliated with the university, Chief Shelton said. He did not give additional details about them.
Students told 13NewsNow of Norfolk that they were taking midterm exams and had seen a commotion or fight before hearing gunfire.
Chief Shelton said that law enforcement officers found students and faculty hiding as they swept the campus after the shooting.
The president of the university, Brian Hemphill, called the shooting a “senseless tragedy.” Gov. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia said in a statement that her administration was in contact with local emergency responders as state support was being mobilized to assist the university and Norfolk.
Old Dominion University is a public research university with around 24,000 students.
Christine Hauser is a Times reporter who writes breaking news stories, features and explainers.
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